


Proteus

by JeezLouiseWoman



Series: Proteus [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Bobbi and Sandy tag is a past relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Sexual Humor, Swearing, also more characters will be added if and when I write about them, chapter 2 was like totally out of the blue so, i'm not sure how much of that violence will make it into this work but tagging to be safe, nothing graphic though. just jokes and mentions, the m/m ships will come in future installments, who knows when inspiration will strike
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22370779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeezLouiseWoman/pseuds/JeezLouiseWoman
Summary: A timeline and series of one-shots revolving around my OC, Sandy McIntosh, aka Proteus (as featured in my main MCU work "The Motley Crew" and College AU "Back-In, Full-Out"). More characters and tags to be added as one-shots are added.
Relationships: Bobbi Morse & Original Female Character(s), Bobbi Morse/Original Female Character(s), Frank Castle & Original Female Character(s), Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse, Phil Coulson & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Proteus [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610383
Kudos: 2





	1. Sandy's Personal Timeline

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! 
> 
> This is where I'll be posting little one-shots that involve Sandy. The one-shots all tie in together and have date/location stamps, but I'm not posting them in order, nor will it be totally necessary for you to read all of them before diving into "The Motley Crew" (the first main MCU story she's in). I have a College AU centered around her, but that's an AU, so it remains separate and can be read as such. 
> 
> The first "chapter" of this is just a timeline of her personal history in regards to major MCU events. I have edited some of the dates to fit better than what the MCU Fandom Wiki has (which is such an awesome resource guys), but she doesn't really change the events as a whole too much. She mostly goes off and does her own thing anyway. HOWEVER, there is a minor spoiler below for what she ends up talking about in Chapter 10 of "The Motley Crew," so do with that what you will. 
> 
> Anywho! She's my favorite of my OCs (not just for this fandom), so if you have requests for interactions with certain characters, I'd be happy to write them. In the meantime, I hope y'all enjoy!

**Birthday:** May 27, 1989

 **Hometown:** Malibu, California

 **Actual Physical Age in 2024:** 30

 **High School Graduation Age:** 16 (2005)

 **College Graduation Age:** 21 (2010)

 **College Graduated From:** Stanford

 **Degrees:** Engineering (general studies) & Computer Science

Joined S.H.I.E.L.D. right out of college ( **2010** ), recruited by Coulson, where she spent the required time in the Academy before reporting to DC.

NOTE: I’ve been checking dates and stuff with the Marvel Wiki, but I’ve altered some of the dates to fit better with my own timeline, and I think some of The Punisher events have weird time gaps that make more sense squished together a little closer

  
  


**2011**

  * Began training to go out in the field with Melinda May as her CO (before May resigned herself to strictly desk duty)
  * Eventually starts going out in the field, and for the next few years, when she’s not on assignment, she’s training with May, Romanoff, & other agents, doing data analysis, working on some tech, etc back in DC. 



**2012**

  * March: Meets Bobbi Morse (a recent divorcee) on a short mission and begins a relationship with her 
  * August: Takes an undercover mission with John Bronson in Beijing, China (some time is spent in other large cities like Shanghai, but mostly they stay in Beijing) [all of this is talked about in slightly more detail in Chapter 10 of _The Motley Crew_ ]



**2013**

  * June: their covers are eventually blown and John dies as they’re ambushed on their way back to their long-stay hotel from a gala
  * Sandy doesn’t take this well, spends around 2 months in a deep depression, pushing away many friends and breaking up with Bobbi, before taking a spontaneous trip to the VA in DC, and she meets Sam Wilson
  * She and Sam become friends outside of the VA
  * November: She’s cleared for field duty & goes back out for a few short, solo missions, again doing data analysis and fiddling with new tech when she’s at home
  * During her time before going back into the field fully, she’s enlisted for help on Project Insight, where she meets Tony Stark



**2014**

  * January 12th: Fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. happens while Sandy is undercover in Portugal. Once the news breaks of the events in DC, she leaves the mission immediately and heads back there. She spends a little time looking for friends, seeing who has turned and who hasn’t. It takes a toll on her, and when she wants to turn to Sam, she realizes he’s totally left the VA and hasn’t left any contact information
  * January 27th: Bobbi, before she goes undercover at HYDRA to protect Jemma, tracks Sandy down and informs her that S.H.I.E.L.D. is rebuilding and Coulson is the new Director
  * She’s never around the new HQ very long, always going out on intel and data gathering missions, hunting down leads & taking out HYDRA members still doing bad stuff, etc.
  * During her escapades across the world, she frequently checks in on her family, who assume she is dead; she also finds out that Sam, who was present at the funeral her family had for her, has taken off with Captain America. She decides it’s probably best that, for now, he keeps thinking she’s dead, too. 



**2015**

  * April 4: Frank’s family is murdered in the park
  * April 14: The two S.H.I.E.L.D.’s (one Gonzales led, the other Coulson led) are headed for a confrontation; Bobbi, who still cares a lot for her and doesn’t want Sandy caught up in this mess, tells her to stay low until everything is figured out instead of coming back at the end of her mission. The two trust each other, so Sandy stays away, deciding to track down more HYDRA leads until Bobbi contacts her again, or she gets word from any of her other team members
  * May 13: Bobbi wakes up from her coma after the Ward/Kara kidnapping, and after learning about everything that went down, asks the team to send word to Sandy that everything’s okay, that she can come back.
  * Sandy stays more frequently at HQ, starts developing more of a relationship with her teammates than she previously had; she helps out with monitoring for new Inhumans and stuff, but always on the tech side. She’s terrible at biology outside of “hitting a person here will do this amount of damage” type stuff. And she can stitch up people’s wounds just fine, and gets better at it as time goes on.
  * July 21: Frank begins enacting his vengeance on the gangs of New York
  * October 15: Out of curiosity and to keep Fitz distracted from his search for Jemma, Sandy takes one of the contaminated Fish Oil pills and undergoes terrigenesis under Fitz and Bobbi’s careful supervision; she learns that she has the ability to create water using existing hydrogen and oxygen in the air, and that she can control already existing water. She spends the next two months learning to control her powers, getting pointers from Daisy when she needs them
  * November 18: Frank escapes from jail, and Coulson assigns Sandy to look for him when she’s not helping out new Inhumans learning to control their powers, hoping she’ll eventually drop hints to the FBI, CIA, and whatnot of his whereabouts so he can be brought to justice; this is sort of punishment for her going behind his back and taking the Fish Oil pill, since what she wants to do most is help them track the people who keep stealing Inhumans before S.H.I.E.L.D. can get to them
  * Late November: Hunter leaves on his mission to find and kill Ward, and Sandy wants to tag along, knowing she’ll be a huge help, but Coulson is grounding her, both because he’s still upset with her and because he needs her here, tracking down Castle (which she is not exactly doing; she’s covering his tracks) and keeping an eye out for new Inhumans and information on ATCU (which she is very actively doing)
  * Sandy’s starting to get disenchanted with the whole “taking orders and just sitting on my ass when I could be doing this _and_ going into the field to help” thing
  * December 10: Coulson finally lets Sandy off “desk duty” and allows her to go out in the field again. In order to appease him in the “Hunt for Castle”, she follows Frank’s trail to El Paso. He’s already taken out the Dogs of Hell in Alabama and is on the Mexican cartel sicario's trail now. She finds him and watches from far away, not planning to do anything about it. He gets stuff done and is taking down the people responsible for his family’s murder. They’re bad people, so why should Sandy stop a man on a mission? When she returns, she tells Coulson he was gone before she could find him. 



**2016**

  * Late January: Frank kills the last member of the Kitchen Irish, then goes into hiding under the name Pete Castiglione 
  * January: During all the HYDRA Castle takeover stuff, Sandy goes with Daisy's team to help out, but since she's not quite as efficient with her powers as Daisy is at this point, and they need someone who'll be able to quickly gather intel, she diverts from the main team for most of the mission.
  * March 22: Bobbi & Hunter are forced to leave S.H.I.E.L.D., mostly on their own terms, to keep the organization’s fragile reputation safe. Sandy shows up at the spy’s goodbye, and uses her powers to spell out “I love you” in Bobbi’s lap, away from the cameras, then “tell Hunter to behave”. She vows that she’ll see her again somehow using the photostatic veils, but after some of the initial heat on the two has died down.
  * April: Sandy leaves HQ for an extended mission tracking down and turning in random members of the Watchdogs across the US (and a few stationed overseas). Since the Team knows who all is behind the Watchdogs’ operations, she’s needed to get any stray members that may disperse and go into hiding after the Team takes down Malick and Blake. They need to answer for their hate crimes against the Inhumans, but in a court of law, so she’s ordered not to kill. This irks her a little, but she follows orders.
  * April 26: Daisy calls Sandy to recruit her for help taking back Zephyr One, which Sandy gleefully accepts; the mission goes much smoother with her help, though Daisy is still infected before anyone realizes it. When the Team heads back to the Playground, Sandy strikes off on her own again to continue her own mission. When it’s revealed that the Inhumans are infected, nobody suspects Sandy because, feasibly, if she was infected and a danger to everyone else, she would have stayed with the rest of them instead of leaving; Mack notices nothing out of the ordinary when he taps into the security feed on her quinjet, where she’s continuing to sift through Watchdogs data & their whereabouts. (she’s sure to shut down the cameras momentarily and do stuff on her personal encrypted laptop when watching what Frank does, but offers full transparency all other times; at this point, he’s still doing the construction gig)
  * June: Sandy is called back to HQ, but slightly too late, as she misses most of the major part of the battle, arriving in time to watch Lincoln and Daisy fight over who gets to take Hive in the quinjet to be killed.
  * June 23: Bucky is discovered in Bucharest, and the next day, the Avengers fight at the airport in Germany
  * Early July, before Daisy leaves: Sandy and Daisy have a talk, where Daisy reveals that she feels responsible for Lincoln’s death and the death of other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Sandy sees where this line of thinking can lead, and she urges Daisy to talk to someone in depth about it, look at the facts rationally, because Sandy knows from experience. Two days later, Daisy leaves to become a vigilante, and she’s too smart to be caught by Sandy, though they do occasionally chat through encrypted messages
  * Early July: Micro contacts Frank, and the events of Season 1 of The Punisher are set in motion; Sandy puts some of this to the side, and eventually has a little trouble tracking Frank because Micro is also covering up some tracks 
  * July 16: Bucky goes into cryostasis in Wakanda
  * Late July: While tracking Daisy, Sandy follows a lead and comes face to face with her; Sandy knows California, so this is the only chance she has to find her before she heads into other states. They have another heart-to-heart, and Sandy leaves her to do her thing, promising to cover a little bit for her, but not to the extent she was doing/does later for Frank (because Daisy is being very carefully watched, whereas Frank wasn’t/isn’t, at least by S.H.I.E.L.D.). In order to be convincing to the agency when she returns (mostly for the new Director’s sake), Sandy and Daisy have a bit of a fight, where Sandy intentionally loses (though it’s pretty evenly matched) and she gets a scar on her eyebrow that’s easily covered up.
  * August 15: Frank drops David off at his home, then goes to see Curtis’ veterans group (last episode of Season 1).
  * November: After months of badgering, being sent on “unimportant” assignments, and general clashing with the new Director Mace, Sandy quits S.H.I.E.L.D., beginning her 6 months of “doing whatever I want.” She eventually takes a job at a local engineering firm under the name Sasha Moore; she occasionally has contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. members, but she tries to keep her distance now, winds up fairly lonely, which will spur on her desire to seek out Frank’s help later
  * December 19: Bucky wakes up from cryo in Wakanda and begins his road to recovery and freedom from the trigger words



**2017**

  * January 14: Frank meets Amy in a bar in Michigan, 3 months after leaving New York to go on “a journey of self-discovery”
  * February 2: Frank & Amy part ways, and he decides to start taking out the scum of New York
  * Mid to Late February: Ghost Rider story arc happens, and there’s a couple months in between this and the LMD stuff, which happens after Sandy leaves for the final time.
  * Mid March: The Vice President of the US is assassinated at a public speaking event in DC. A large water pipe running under the stage he’s giving a speech on bursts and jettisons upwards, killing the VP and several secret service members. 
  * The next day, while watching the news from her apartment in Woodstock, Vermont, Sandy hears a knock at her door. She’s immediately suspicious because several news outlets and the like were spouting theories that it could have been a superpowered individual, Inhuman or otherwise. The investigation of the pipe revealed foul play, so it definitely wasn’t just an accident and everyone is quickly looking for someone to blame. Sandy doesn’t answer the door, instead taking off with her heavily encrypted laptop and emergency bag.
  * After stealing a car and applying her one remaining Nano Mask, Sandy makes her way to New York; after a couple of hours of research, she finds out where Frank’s going that night (she’s been keeping a passive eye on him still). She finally meets him face-to-face, and after a little convincing, he begrudgingly agrees to help her out.
  * Daisy, now back at S.H.I.E.L.D., both not believing Sandy would do this and feeling that she owes her in a sense, does her own type of digging while Sandy and Frank do their thing. She eventually runs into Sandy and fights with her briefly, convinced that _this isn’t the way to prove her innocence_ ; Sandy & Frank manage to get away. 
  * Frank & Sandy spend the next two weeks tracking down their leads, and eventually find out that another Inhuman (Travis Durand, can control wind) is responsible for the attack. He’s under the guidance of Anthony Faella. 
  * Faella is friends with the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and they plan on killing the Speaker of the House too, in order to get the Pro Tempore as high up the chain as possible. They’re trying to push an anti-superhuman agenda (targeting not only Inhumans, but other enhanced individuals), which is why they framed Sandy, an Inhuman, as their scapegoat. With their connections to the President and sensitive info, they were able to find out about someone who controls water. They only trust Travis because he’s related to the Pres Pro Tempore, and his loyalty is easily bought.
  * Frank & Sandy follow the trail, a fight between her and Travis ensues, Sandy gets injured pretty bad but wins, sparing his and Faella’s life so that they can both tell the truth and clear her name
  * April 1: Sandy returns to S.H.I.E.L.D., Faella in tow, leaving Frank in an abandoned garage in SoHo as she flies away in a quinjet, re-enlisting at S.H.I.E.L.D. 
  * When Sandy gets back, she learns about all that she’s missed and mentions that she had Robbie Reyes work on her car one time while in LA (under the guise of spying on a guy at across the street that she suspected to be with HYDRA or the Watchdogs). 
  * August 15: Sandy leaves S.H.I.E.L.D. for the last time and decides to join Frank Castle permanently, feeling like this is a better use of her skills and a better way to help the little people
  * Late August: The LMD story arc happens, and Mace dies, so Coulson takes over again.



**2018**

  * August: The events of _Infinity War_ take place, and Sandy and Frank snap out of existence



**2023**

  * October 17: Everyone is snapped back into existence, including Sandy & Frank



**2024**

  * April 12: Bucky & Sam infiltrate an old HYDRA bunker that’s supposedly housing members of the “cartel” they’re chasing down. It’s mostly abandoned save for one member, who tells them the other members have already been taken out by someone else. The duo dig through the files left at the base, and Sam finds Sandy’s name in the files. Sam is stunned she’s still alive, so he and Bucky agree to find them and team up, rather than keep trying to do this on their own. They’re all pulling on the same strings anyway, it seems.
  * April 13: Sandy & Frank are cornered by Sam & Bucky in an alleyway, and so _The Motley Crew_ begins.




	2. Back In Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During Sandy's time at S.H.I.E.L.D.

**December 10, 2015, Undisclosed Location, Northeast US**

Sandy’s ever so thankful her phone rings at 8 am sharp, giving her the perfect excuse to cut and run so early.

The only reason she’s not gone already is because she didn’t feel like venturing outside in the bitter cold the night before. Snow hasn’t fallen just yet, but it’s inevitable, especially since the temperature is dipping lower and lower each day. And while it’s not odd for all manner of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to come back to base at any given hour of the day or night, Sandy also didn’t feel like getting _looks_. Which is why she’s still in this stranger’s bed, something she really doesn’t ever do.

“Mornin’, Bob. How’s my favorite Amazonian?” she greets while rolling onto her back.

The guy laying beside her—Dylan? Daniel? Sandy was a little drunk last night so she doesn’t remember his name, just that it starts with a _D_ —props up on one arm and gives her a rather confused look.

“Mornin’, Beaches,” Bobbi greets back cheerily. “Hate to interrupt whatever you’re up to ‘cause I know it’s your day off, but Coulson wants to see you.”

Sandy offers her an affirmative _hmm_ . “Take it he knows I’m not there.” She avoids saying “on base” because she told Dwhatshisname she’s a Senior Technical Communications Analyst. She could have gone with some other military title since there’s an Air Force base not too far away and it would explain her level of physical fitness, but he didn’t question anything. Likely too drunk to really care. But, Sandy surmises, sober, he probably wouldn’t have known either. After all, she has a type when it comes to men, and it’s _cute, dumb, and beefy._ As close to Brendan Fraser’s George of the Jungle as she can get. D-boy fits the bill close enough. 

“Well, when you didn’t show up for your morning coffee, he figured you’d gone out. Hope you’re not too far away, ‘cause he gave you an hour. And he seems more stressed than usual.”

Sandy rolls her eyes and sighs theatrically. “Of course work needs me _today_. I’ll be there soon, then.”

“Are you gonna get coffee on the way or do I need to have some ready when you get here? I don’t wanna hear an argument all the way down in the labs.”

Sandy sits up and huffs a laugh. “You’re being dramatic, Bobert.” She leans over, reaching for her discarded pile of clothes.

“No, I’m not,” she retorts matter-of-factly. “You’re the dramatic one out of the two of us.”

“Okay, yeah, you’re not wrong.” She pauses briefly to pull the phone away from her face so she can properly put on her bra. “Coffee would be nice, though.” 

“I can make you coffee?” the guy offers helpfully, sitting up fully and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, positioning himself right next to her.

It’s painful having to reject the sweet offer. “Oh, thanks, bud, but that’ll take too much of the time my boss isn’t giving me much of.” She cups his cute face in her hands and smiles. “That’s so very sweet of you, though.”

He returns the smile with a lopsided one of his own, sitting back on the bed further and allowing Sandy to finish getting dressed. “Bob, could you have some ready when I get there? I prefer how you do it anyway.”

Sandy can practically hear Bobbi’s raised eyebrow on the other end. “I can’t tell if you’re turning that into an innuendo or not, but I’ll take it as a compliment. See you when you get here.”

A brief thanks, and the line disconnects. Sandy quickly tugs on the rest of her clothes. No doubt someone else will find some reason to call her later, so she forgoes the small purse and shoves her phone directly into her bra. That’s about the only disadvantage of wearing dresses on the rare occasions she goes out.

As she’s about to walk out the door, the guy— _god, what is his name?_ —asks, “So can I call you, or is this one of those _no, I’ll call you_ things?”

She pivots slightly on one foot and flashes him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, bud. I’m not in town very much, so I’m not sure when we’d be able to see each other again. Last night was fun, though, and you’re hella sweet. I know how to find you if I have any more free time.”

This seems to mostly satisfy him, so he gives her a matching smile. With a wink, she’s out the door, and twenty minutes later, she’s striding into the base, greeted by Bobbi’s lovely face, on full display because her hair’s tied back, matching the fact that she’s wearing workout clothes. And, most importantly, she’s holding out a large, hot mug of coffee for Sandy.

“Jesus, you’re a saint,” Sandy practically moans after her first sip.

Bobbi tries to stifle a laugh, which means it comes out as an undignified snort. “Drama queen.”

Sandy shrugs while taking another sip. A dash of caramel, just how she likes it. If Hunter somehow manages to screw things with Bobbi up again, Sandy’s pretty sure the _least_ she’ll do is maim him. “Mhm. You love it though.”

A shrug accompanies Bobbi’s indifferent expression. “Maybe.” When she starts forward, Sandy follows. “So, last night any good?”

“Yeah, he was fun. Sweet, too,” she answers between sips. She knows it’s pathetic to be this reliant on coffee, but Sandy just can’t find it in her to care.

“I believe it. Heard him offer to make coffee.”

“He’ll make someone very happy in the future.”

“So I take it the sex was good, too?” she teases, one corner of her mouth tugging up.

Sandy bats her eyelashes up at Bobbi. “Yeah, but not as good as you, beautiful.”

 _Slightly hungover_ Sandy is also _slightly more composed when flirting with Bobbi_ Sandy. Which is nice, but not really worth the vodka headaches she’d get if she did this more often. But a change of pace is nice. Bobbi blushing slightly is even nicer. Sandy would very much like to continue their conversation, but life has other things in mind. 

“Well,” a distinctly British voice interrupts, “I don’t know _exactly_ what’s going on here, but I think I’d like an invite to this party.”

 _Speak of the devil._ “Hey, Hunter,” Sandy greets him in a less-than-thrilled tone. It’s not that she doesn’t like Hunter, but he does press her buttons sometimes. And not just because he’s back together with Bobbi. The “ability to complain about that” ship sailed a long time ago. And while she knows that oftentimes feelings don’t listen to reason, Sandy’s thankfully able to look past their personal history and treat him like any normal agent. And she finds that he is rather irritating at times.

Pot calling the kettle black, yeah, but Sandy’s brand of irritating is _endearing_. Hunter’s is not. And despite somewhat bonding and consoling each other over Bobbi’s near-death experience, he still doesn’t make it very high up on her likability list.

“Not feeling very sunny this morning, huh?” he asks, somewhat patronizingly. He tucks his hands into his jacket pockets, and Sandy notices that he looks ready to head out on a mission. Or that he just hasn’t dressed himself down from his latest one. Maybe he and May are back from their undercover gig?

“Hunter,” Bobbi warns lightly. She knows when he’s trying a bit too hard to distract from something bothering him. But she’ll ask him about that later.

Sandy takes another quick sip before responding, “Oh, I’m feeling just fine this morning. But just to clarify, you do know how dangerous I can be, right? And not just because of my newfound abilities.” She doesn’t allow him to respond. “I’m still nursing my first cup of coffee this morning, meaning I can be a little cranky if provoked. So, with all this in mind, I’d like to gently remind you that, while yes, we’re both very hot women, and yes, we’ve been together before, women loving women don’t exist solely for men’s amusement.” 

Bobbi simply makes an agreeing face and nods while Hunter opens his mouth to defend himself. However, Sandy just shakes her head, effectively cutting him off.

“I’ve apparently got a meeting with Coulson, and I’d like to change out of my party clothes before then, so. Toodles!” she finishes brightly. She gives them an equally bright smile and brushes lightly past them, but not before winking at Bobbi.

“She really does not like me,” Hunter states as he watches her continue down the corridor towards the residential wing. 

“She doesn’t _hate_ you, but you’re not her favorite person,” Bobbi agrees. “You started it though. I mean, not just now, even though you totally did. Acting threatened by her when you first met really didn’t help your case to get on her good side.”

Hunter’s gapes at her. “I didn’t—” One very pointed look from Bobbi shuts him down and he holds his hands up in surrender. “Okay, you’re right. Honestly surprised that didn’t boost her ego and make her like me instead.”

“She’s a complicated woman. Piece of advice? If you stop making unsolicited comments like that, she’ll probably start to dislike you less.”

“I’m not one to make promises I can’t keep, Bob.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he knows he’s in trouble.

Bobbi’s eyes widen. “Oh really?”

Unfortunately, Hunter can’t talk his way out of everything, and his only chance of rescue comes and goes in the form of Daisy taking one look at them before doing a complete 180 and going back the way she came. She can wait the fifteen minutes or so it’ll take them to finish that.

* * *

“Peek-a-boo!”

Coulson, who’s leaning back against the front of his desk, lifts his head up and away from Daisy’s intel to find Sandy’s head—and nothing else—peeking out from the left side of the office door, her long braid dangling in midair. He briefly wonders why she hasn’t cut it yet, since she never lets it get that long. _Must be because she’s been cooped up instead of out and about in the field,_ he figures. That train of thought disappears quickly and is replaced with a new, stranger one when he realizes that she bears a striking resemblance to a cartoon character, what with one of her signature grins plastered on her face and the whole floating head act she’s got going on. He almost expects her to walk in carrying something she feasibly shouldn’t be able to, something that would get her in trouble and likely cause an explosion. 

_That’s… not out of the realm of possibility. But definitely not something I want to deal with today._

“You’re ten minutes early,” he says in lieu of a greeting. 

“Well, I am punctual.”

That’s only half true. In matters concerning her job, yes. When she’s let loose to do as she pleases in her personal life, not so much.

“So,” she drawls casually, moving to come fully into the room in a loose white V-neck and jeans and _not_ carrying anything, much to Phil’s weird relief, “what would the Director like to discuss with his third favorite agent?”

Coulson’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Third?”

“Yep! Everyone knows Daisy and May are your favorites.”

“Oh, no, I meant that you think you’re higher on the list than Mack? Or the head chef?”

Realization dawns on her. “Oh, wait, you’re right. Warren does make a mean souffle.”

“And always sneaks me an extra helping.”

“You think if I mention to him that I’m the Director’s fifth favorite he’ll give me extras, too?”

“You’re not that high.”

“Oh, well, not right _now_. I haven’t found a good weed dealer around here yet.”

Coulson snorts and waves a hand. “We’re getting off topic.”

Sandy crosses her arms with a smug look. “Okay, okay. So, what’s up, Doc?”

She might actually be a cartoon character. Which doesn’t sound that weird to Coulson, all things considered. “Where are we at with the Castle situation?”

It’s like a switch is flipped within Sandy. Her demeanor is suddenly very professional; it’s not the first time he’s witnessed it, but the shock doesn’t wear off that easily. “I’ve got that algorithm Fitz helped me put together going. Facial recognition, gait recognition, some voice analysis where I can get it without violating too much personal privacy, the whole shebang. But,” she sighs, “he’s tricky. Smart. I only occasionally get anything useful, and it’s been days since the last ping.” 

Coulson hums and crosses his own arms. “Where?”

She fishes her phone out of her back pocket and taps a few things on the screen in silence. “Here,” she finally says, holding it out for him. “Downtown Louisville, Kentucky.”

The image is fairly grainy, but Coulson’s able to make out enough of the man coming out of the gas station’s convenience store. Dressed in all black, hoodie pulled over his head, holding a large coffee cup and plastic bag full of stuff, likely food. It’s Frank Castle, all right.

“He kept his face hidden from the other cameras inside besides the one behind the register, which, go figure, is worse quality than this one. We’re lucky this particular camera’s angle was just right to catch him before he ducked his head again.” Sandy takes her phone back when Coulson offers it.

“You catch the car he’s driving?”

Sandy bobs her head side to side indecisively. “Yes and no. It’s a different vehicle than the last time. Which was another gas station. Those are the cameras that seem to catch him most often.”

“Makes sense. Gas and food are pretty essential for someone on the run.” He looks pointedly at Sandy. She knows first hand, after all. “And if you’re gonna get caught, best that it’s on cameras with a poor track record of clarity.”

She nods affirmatively and shakes her phone, Castle’s image still pulled up. “See? Smart.”

“But we’re smarter. More resources than he has, at least.”

“That’s true.”

Coulson studies her for a few seconds. She doesn’t say anything, only regarding him with the same inquisitiveness he’s giving her. “Okay, McIntosh. What’s on your mind?” 

This is one of the rare instances Sandy doesn’t feel like beating around the bush, despite how fun it usually is with Coulson. Besides, he’s on edge already, so it’s best not to push it. She slides her phone back into her back pocket and puts her hands on her hips. “Can I ask why you’ve asked _me_ to do this specifically? In addition to the other stuff you’ve got me on, which is way more important right now. I mean, I know I’m good, and I know we’re also watching those other superpowered vigilantes in New York, but… Castle’s just… a dude. Tragic as hell backstory, and I feel for him, but still just a guy. He’s more FBI and CIA’s speed.”

“I know.” He nods and looks out the window overlooking downtown in the distance for a short moment before looking back at Sandy. “Besides the fact that nothing good comes out of you twiddling your thumbs, and that this isn’t taking up that much of your time, quite frankly, the FBI and CIA just aren’t as good as us. I figured we’d help them out a little bit, seeing as I’ve got plenty of the best agents at my disposal.”

“This is also punishment for the Fish Oil thing,” she states flatly.

Coulson can’t help his smile. “This is also punishment for the Fish Oil thing.”

A smile tugs at Sandy’s lips, too. “I’m not going to apologize for that, but you shouldn’t be so mad. We already know nobody’s died from the contaminated doses, so either I was gonna get powers or I was gonna get a good grade on my bloodwork.”

“You don’t get _grades_ for bloodwork.”

“Not with that attitude.”

Coulson chooses not to get into a war of wits with her. Doesn’t have time for it anyway. “It’s still dangerous, and you didn’t run it by me first. Ergo, punishment needs to be dealt out. And I know how much you started hating long-term desk duty the moment you got a taste of freedom.”

 _Long-term_ for Sandy means anything beyond a week. And it’s been almost a month. So yes, she’s got cabin fever _bad_. “All right, point taken.”

“I have a feeling you’re gonna make me regret this, but…” 

Sandy perks up at that, tilting her head to the side curiously. 

“I’m ungrounding you.”

“Finally,” Sandy rejoices with a small fist bump, feeling like she’s back in middle school again.

“Your first assignment is to go immediately wherever Castle pops up next.” Coulson knows that at this rate, it could be another week before he slips up, but in the meantime, she can start helping out in the field again when his team needs it. And they will need it. 

To Phil’s surprise, this seems to be what Sandy was expecting. “Cool. Do I have to take a team with me or can I go by myself?”

“You wanna go by yourself to handle him?” This also comes as a surprise, but only for a split second. “Wait, never mind, forgot who I was talking to for a second. Of course you do.”

Sandy puffs out her chest. “I’m very capable of handling myself, of handling him by myself if it comes to that. Especially now.” To punctuate her point, she holds out her hands as small ribbons of water form and weave their way fluidly between her fingers as she wiggles them. She feels a swell of pride at how far she’s coming in such a short time. Even though she’s confused as to why _she_ has these powers, she does love them.

It is impressive, Coulson has to admit. “You’ve got a really good grip on those—”

“And getting better every day. Pretty sure this is just the beginning.”

“Yes, well, go for an assessment with Daisy, then if she thinks you’re good to go, you can go by yourself. I don’t necessarily want this guy dead, so if you get into a fight, the less chance of you accidentally killing him, the better.”

“Yeah, neither of us want that on our conscience.” Sandy’s mouth draws into a tight line. 

Coulson frowns. He knows she doesn’t mean it to be condescending, but it’s never been easy for her to talk about accidental deaths. Unfortunately, that seems to be a curse for every agent and Inhuman he knows. “If you subdue him, just pick the closest agency and drop him off there. Or if you have someone within one of them that you trust.”

“I don’t trust anyone outside this agency.”

“So the former it is.” He goes to pick the tablet, but Sandy’s voice stops him.

“You’re not worried they’ll just execute him anyway?” she asks with a hint of concern. “They don’t exactly have a strict No Kill order out on him.”

“I know. But we’re not an official government agency anymore, so he’s not our problem. We’re already sticking our noses in things we shouldn’t be, and he’s too big a name for us to take the credit. So this is our only option.”

 _No, we have the option to just stay out of his affairs entirely, but you’re too nosy._ “Right. I’ll do what I can, then.” 

“Good.” Coulson nods and actually picks up the tablet this time. “I’ve got an appointment to get to. Daisy’s doing research, so if you want to get her assessment today, get with her. Otherwise, I’ve got nothing else for you.”

“Thanks, boss,” she chirps, though there is a very slight edge to her voice. Offering a nod, she pivots gracefully on the balls of her feet and strolls out of the office whistling some tune he’s never heard. 

Today’s gonna be a bunch of major headaches, he can already tell.

* * *

**El Paso, Texas, One Week Later**

“ _Holla, gotta feel me son, let me throw ya some, people here I come_ — Oh, buddy.” Sandy sits up straighter and yanks out the earbud. She pauses the song she’s been singing along to—a mashup of Missy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On” and The Black Keys’ “Keep Me”—and focuses her full attention on the camera feed on her tablet. When the cartel member on the screen begins shouting about how he’s _the last surviving member_ and _if the Punisher comes to Juarez, we’ll kick his ass_ , she purses her lips. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that…”

With a slight incline of her head she can see one sniper on the roof adjacent to her hotel room, well camouflaged in the dark night. She pops a few more pieces of popcorn into her mouth and looks back at the video. She knew Castle had been tracking down and killing Mexican cartel members, and she knew where this last man standing had been heading, so she went ahead and set up some cameras and waited for Castle’s inevitable arrival. She did have to weasel her way into this empty hotel room once he’d set up shop on that rooftop, but everything else went exactly according to plan. And yes, part of her plan is to let Frank take out the guy in whatever way he sees fit. 

Then do absolutely nothing to stop him from moving onto his next target.

She’d only been partially lying when she said his sightings are few and far between. She’s been keeping a much closer eye on him than that. And she has no qualms about letting him enact his revenge. After all, she owes him a debt. Barring a face-to-face meeting, which she doesn’t feel like doing right now, this is her way of thanking him for giving her closure. 

In fact, the only reason she’s even here is just to appease Coulson. Once she gets back to HQ, she’ll make up something about how she was just a little too late. Then she can get back to figuring out how to resolve the rest of their more pressing problems.

There’s a _bang_ and a muzzle flash in her periphery, but Sandy doesn’t drag her attention from the video feed. A solid two seconds later, the cartel member’s head snaps backwards and collapses to the ground, blood splattering against the wall behind him. There’s pandemonium in the room, but she cuts the feed to watch Castle pack up instead. He’s awfully meticulous, yet fast. Something that comes with years of practice. More than likely, he’s already thinking about his next target. Someone from the Irish mob, she thinks. She’ll do research on that when she gets back, assuming everything hasn’t gone to shit in the meantime. 

Once she’s sure he’s had enough time to get down and exit the building, go get something to eat, whatever it is he does after a successful kill, she sneaks out of the hotel, tossing the bag of empty popcorn in the dumpster out back. It’s best not be sloppy and get caught lying about her whereabouts if she’s gonna keep Castle out of trouble and let him do his own thing. Something she’s fine with doing from a distance. However...

Sandy has a feeling this isn’t the last time she’ll see Frank Castle in person. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man I love Bobbi/Sandy. Too bad the timing in poor Sandy's life is just never good.


	3. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set before and on August 15, 2017, when Sandy leaves S.H.I.E.L.D. for the final time.

**August 8, 2017, Undisclosed Location, Northeast US**

“There’s something not quite right about this whole thing,” Sandy muses for the hundredth time.

She’s alone in her room with her laptop, as is her usual nightly routine. The team is having drinks in the common area. There’s not much else to do on a Tuesday night when there’s the usual lull between missions, and Sandy’s had enough team bonding for the day. She loves them, but it just feels off when she’s around them too long. Especially after she’d returned to the folds. Things are… different. And it’s a feeling she can’t quite shake. As if she’s fooling herself into thinking she belongs here.

Muffled gunshots and shouts erupt from her speakers. The cameras certainly aren’t 4K, but Sandy’s able to make out what’s going on easily enough. Someone has disturbed this gang’s seemingly peaceful evening, and Sandy knows exactly who that person is. Even if she hadn’t been actively following him, she would have found out easily enough. His war cry as he rushes in, guns blazing, is one she’d recognize anywhere. The huge white skull painted on his chest is also a fairly dead giveaway. 

She wants to smile and just sit back and watch the show, but there’s too much going on for her to relax. Frank Castle is careful, calculated, and smart. But he can’t account for everything. And maybe, she realizes, he’s a little too bull-headed to think his reputation doesn’t make his job harder. He’s been a little sloppier lately. She’s no longer there to help, and neither is Micro, who hasn’t been in the picture for a while. Frank knows better than to drag him back into his mess. And he’s been trying to keep Curtis at a safe distance as much as possible. 

Sandy openly frets when she notices that, although he hasn’t been shot yet, he’s _limping_ . He didn’t _have_ to attack them tonight, but here he is, being the absolute moron he’s prone to be. He’s always thought of himself as a one-man army. Has every right to, considering how far he’s gotten in life, but that also makes him reckless. And Sandy can’t just sit by and watch him walk that fine line between life and death. Especially not when there’s men on the upper level that she’s sure Frank hasn’t noticed yet.

A few strokes of her keyboard and she’s got control of the lighting system—because of course these idiots would be dumb enough to connect their lights and electronics to a wifi system. Two more clicks, and the upper level is flooded with blinding and flashing lights. It’s enough of a distraction for Frank to finish off everyone on the lower level. She’s kept him in the dark, safe for the moment. He’s able to focus on what he hadn’t seen before—or maybe he had noticed, but not considered them a threat; he’s always so confident that he _always_ knows what he’s doing. Sandy hates that about him, mainly because that’s exactly what she’s like. 

Another roar emits from his throat, and in a few seconds, all the men Sandy’s bathed in light are dead. 

She allows herself a sigh of relief. All the main members of this gang are gone now. Frank will likely find any stragglers by himself. He’ll be okay, but Sandy will still keep a close eye on him.

Frank loots some of the bodies silently, still limping (he should really go see Curtis again and get some goddamn rest). She contemplates turning off the feed as he starts to leave. However, she hesitates when he stops and looks around, searching for something. He finally settles his gaze on one of the cameras and Sandy can faintly make out that he’s smiling. 

He signs “thank you, blonde” to the camera, then taps the area of his chest where his heart is. Then he’s gone from view. 

Sandy leans back into her pillows, grinning like an idiot. That had been their sign that they were okay and to keep going. Memories of their time clearing her name and tearing through the criminal organization that had brought them together flood her mind. She shakes them off after a few moments and tries to ground herself. Not all of those memories were fond; she’d almost lost him, then she’d had to drag someone else into their shit. 

_Gotta ground myself again._

S.H.I.E.L.D. base. Her bed. Pictures from her days at the Academy as her laptop background. Her notes on the latest update to her uniform at her feet. Bowl of mango rinds at her left elbow. She’s at home, in her room. Everything’s okay.

Another deep breath, and she’s back to normal, but she knows she’s not _home_. Not truly.

She can’t stand waiting around to feel at home again, and she knows it’s not going to happen, not here. So, she’ll leave soon. Missing her team and knowing they’ll miss her tears at her heart, but it doesn’t change her mind. Daisy will try to convince her to stay, Sandy knows it. It won’t work, as much as she wants it to. She’ll always love them, but it’s best for everyone if she leaves for her real home. 

Not California, not her family there. They’re better off without her. Safer. No, she realizes that she’d left her home months ago, standing in an abandoned garage watching her leave on a quinjet.

* * *

**August 15, 2017, New York, NY**

Sandy finds him in a seedy bar in South Bronx, a week later. Half the patrons are too drunk to care that The Punisher is chugging a beer in their favorite hangout. The other half know who he is, but he’s welcome there. Tammy’s made them keep their mouth shut. After all, he did single handedly take out the bastards that had been making life on that particular block a living nightmare. Going out at night is much easier now because of him, so all his drinks are on the house.

She’s been waiting too long for this. Being separated for so long from someone who truly understands her had taken its toll on her sou, and she is well and truly is tired. Tired of the spy games, tired of the politics. She wants to do something that matters to the little people again. She wants to _fight_ . To right wrongs overlooked by most of the waking world. To _help_ in ways few can provide.

There’s only one person who truly understands how she feels and can help her accomplish her goals. And she owes him a debt. Well, one bigger than the last one, anyway.

Something stirs in her chest when she finally sees him for the first time in, well, too long really. She could have told him she was coming. But she knows he somehow already knows she’s there.

It’s made more apparent when she recognizes that look on his face. It’s inviting a challenge. He knows he’s being watched, seems to welcome it. 

_Oh, Frank, ever the fighter._

Several moments pass while she just watches him, waiting for an opening. The limp she’d seen the previous week was all but gone now, to her relief. There are new cuts on his arm and his face. New bruises, too. He looks like shit, as usual. But she loves it, it’s familiar. It’s also a little bit of what she looks like, too, as she’d taken one last mission before she left for good. 

A seat opens up next to Frank, and Sandy’s waiting is done. She slips onto the stool a split second after the person leaves it. She can see the corner of his lips quirk up. Neither of them says anything for a few beats, but Sandy figures he won’t talk until she does. He’s always been the quieter one, after all.

“Missed you, dear.”

“Missed you too, sweetheart,” he replies in that gruff voice of his.

Sandy casts him a curious look. It’s the first time he’s ever used that word on her. And it’s not by mistake, if his expression is anything to go off of. “It’s true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, huh?” she teases.

He lets out a scoff and takes another swig of his beer. “Just a little bored, really. Nothin’ more.”

Oh, she missed this. “You keep telling yourself that, tough guy. We both know you missed my charm.”

He’s laughing now, and she immediately feels like herself again. “I think,” he says, turning his head to directly look at her, “that _charm_ is the wrong word.”

She purses her lips in thought. “No, it’s the right word. We both know English isn’t your strong suit.” When he turns back to his beer, she bumps his shoulder with hers, and a comfortable silence falls between them.

“When you goin’ back?” he asks eventually. She hears something in his voice that makes her think he’s not going to like the answer.

“About that…” He furrows his brow and turns back to her. She meets his gaze, giving him one of her playful looks. “I was thinking about staying. You seem pretty helpless without me.”

There’s hesitation in his face, as if that wasn’t the answer he was expecting, but he’s still going to be given something he won’t like. “What, you kill another Vice President?” Sandy can tell he’s trying to play this off as casually as possible.

“No, those days are behind me.” She lowers her chin and lets her smile falter. “I’m done with S.H.I.E.L.D. For good this time. I tried waiting around for it to feel like home again, but…”

“It’s not gonna.” Frank nods in understanding. “Not anymore.”

“No, not anymore,” she confirms. “I’ll miss it, but I think I missed this more.” For a quiet moment, she looks around the bar. “Missed you.”

When she meets his eyes again, they look much brighter than they had before. Apparently, that answer was the one he’d been hoping for. “Well, Blondie, long as you don’t get in my way, you’re welcome to stay.”

She rests her head on his shoulder, chuckling, “It doesn’t matter whether or not I’m welcome. You can’t get rid of me that easily, dear.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Would you rather me call you _baby_ or something worse? You _know_ I can do worse.”

“Do not make me regret this.”

With his chin now resting on the top of her head, Sandy happily realizes that she’s done waiting. She’s home now. 

At least until Frank kicks her out for being too annoying.

**Author's Note:**

> I added some major MCU events that happen to other characters to basically do a little world building. And as reference for myself lmao.


End file.
